Muramasa: The Demon Blade

Game Summary

The creators of the acclaimed PlayStation 2 hit, Odin Sphere, return with the single player, action RPG, Muramasa: The Demon Blade. Steeped in the ancient mythology of Japan, Muramasa: The Demon Blade tells a tale of possessed souls, forgotten pasts and unimaginable destinies. A Wii exclusive, filled with expertly hand animated graphics and gameplay that transitions seamlessly between player-controlled elements and story sequences it is an adventure only to be experienced on the Wii.

According to 1up, the developers of Odin Sphere and Muramasa: the Demon Blade have reported that those games may get high definition ports sometime in the future. This makes sense given the nature of both games and comments that their director made last year.
The only source for this report is 1upâ€™s own unspecified contacts within Vanillaware â€“ more than one, so this information is still unconfirmed. The main detail is that the HD ports will be downloadable, but 1upâ€™s sources didnâ€™t specify any platform. HD ports however probably mean the PlayStation Store and Xbox Live Arcade.
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A wise man once said revenge is a dish best served cold, but in the world of Shank, revenge is a dish best served with a side of shotgun and generous sprinkling of grenades. Therein lies the appeal of Kleiâ€™s latest offering; it manages to do for old-school, beat-'em-ups what N+ did for hardcore platformers. Furthermore, Shank also exhibits some of the most stylish art direction this side of Muramasa:The Demon Blade. This is a game that lets players unleash their pent-up bloodlust in what is likely the sexiest manner possible.
Beautiful violence after the break.
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The latest issue of Famitsu revealed this week that Square Enix is remaking the original Tactics Ogre for the PSP. With the top members of the original development team at the helm, it will have fundamental changes and enhancements but still try to remain faithful to the original version.
The current Japanese name for the new title roughly translates to Tactics Ogre: the Wheel of Fate (or Fortune). It is a "rebuild" of the strategy RPG that was known in North America on the original PlayStation as Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together. The changes to the game go as far as alterations on the balance as well as the visual style. Read More

Nearly every Nintendo platform has had some form of budget line-up of high-profile, high-selling games. From the NES Classics to the Player's Choice line which spanned the Super NES, Game Boy, Nintendo 64, Game Boy Advance, and GameCube, being introduced into the latter's catalog less than two years into its lifespan.
However, the Nintendo DS and Wii have had no such lineup of titles, and as we enter the fourth year of the Wii's life, people are beginning to wonder where the system's budget-priced hits are. The answer is: Japan. Read More

Alus this week confirmed that they will be the American publisher for From Software's retro-style PS3 adventure game. The game will release near the summer of 2010 at budget price.
Atlus will release 3D Dot Game Heroes in North America on March 10th for $40. The North American box art also seems to have been revealed for the game.
This all comes after much speculation following Sony's initial announcement of the game's eventual North American release. Many speculated that the publisher would be either Atlus, Ignition Entertainment (Muramasa The Demon Blade), or Sony themselves.
3D Dot Game Heroes is what looks like a deliberate homage to the original 8-bit Legend of Zelda. It is set in a 3D rendition of that games blocky graphics as somewhat of a parody. Read More

Poor XSEED Games. Despite the fact that the publisher has a partnership with Marvelous Interactive, three of Marvelous's Wii-exclusive titles previously announced to be published in North America by XSEED have moved to other companies. First came No More Heroes 2 to Ubisoft, then Muramasa: The Demon Blade to Ignition Entertainment. Now, Ignition has done it again, picking up the Marvelous-developed RPG Arc Rise Fantasia for North America.
Developed by imageepoch, the same company behind Sands of Destruction and the Luminous Arc series for the DS, Arc Rise Fantasia tells the story of a band of warriors who must face off with an army of evil creatures - you know, like pretty much every other JRPG ever. Still, it's for Wii, and given the console's total lack of good turn-based RPGs, this could be one to watch out for when it releases in Summer of 2010. Read More

Ignition Entertainment yesterday revealed that Play Magazine would be getting a cover story for the upcoming Muramasa the Demon Blade. The issue will have as its cover a pretty shocking piece of all new original art for the game by its director.
An image of Muramasa's female protagonist battling the game's secret octopus boss that entangles her will cover the September issue of Play Magazine. Ignition producer Shane Bettenhausen revealed the art on his blog Thursday while pointing indicating it to clearly take after the famous Japanese print "The Dream of the Fisherman's Wife" by Hokusai. The issue will arrive to subscribers this week and hits newsstands next week. Read More

Though Marvelous Entertainment has thrown in a pretty good amount of support for the Wii, the simple fact of the matter is that the returns have not been very favorable in the company's native Japan. In fact, if you'll recall, they've proven themselves to be downright heartbreaking for those involved in the development of said games.
As such, it is perfectly understandable that the company is considering a move into Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 development, one which would see some of their previous Wii titles moved to the power-packed platforms. Siliconera notes that two likely candidates would be Muramasa: The Demon Blade and Arc Rise Fantasia, as they don't rely heavily on the promise of the Wii's motion controls.
Meanwhile, it is noted that the Xbox 360/PlayStation title Rainy Woods is still in development. In addition, Goichi Suda, whose No More Heroes titles are published in Japan under the Marvelous banner, has also recently spoken of taking the franchise to new territory. Read More

Muramasa: The Demon Blade, Vanillaware's spiritual successor to Odin Sphere, has got itself a fancy new trailer titled "Heroes." In it, main characters Kisuke and Momohime get their slash and dash on, tearing apart Oni in Genroku Era Japan.
This is the game that will finally drive me to purchase a Wii. Just look at it. It's gorgeous. Watching this trailer is like watching a piece of artwork that just sprung to life. My only concern is that Murasama will suffer from the same crippling slow-down that, for me, made Odin Sphere unplayable. Nintendo's Wii is at least more powerful than PS2, right? 'Cause I need this. Read More

Tokyo-based publisher Marvelous Entertainment is sad. As in, literally to the point of tears, as is revealed in a strangely honest blog post for Little King's Story.
And the reason for their despair?
Low game sales on the Wii, particularly those of their own fare, which includes such notables as No More Heroes, Rune Factory Frontier, Oboromuramasa (Muramasa: The Demon Blade), Harvest Moon: Waku Waku Animal March (Harvest Moon: Animal Parade), and Arc Rise Fantasia, the last three of which are due in the U.S. later this year. Read More

Yesterday, we learned that XSeed Games would no longer be publishing Muramasa: Demon Blade in the US. Thankfully, we didn't have too wait long to get an announcement concerning who the new publisher would be. Ignition Entertainment officially announced that they would be publishing the latest Vanillaware title in the US.
To coincide with this announcement, Ignition also revealed that the game would be receiving a release this September.
Get the full PR release after the break. Read More